Diana Nayad completes swim from Cuba to Florida
黛安娜．奈雅德成功從古巴游到佛羅里達

Diana Nyad emerges from the Atlantic Ocean after completing a 179km swim from Cuba to Key West, Florida on Sept. 2.美國耐力長泳健將黛安娜．奈雅德九月二日完成古巴至美國佛羅里達州基韋斯特島一百七十九公里的泳程後，從大西洋出來。

Photo: EPA照片：歐新社

Looking dazed and sunburned, US endurance swimmer Diana Nyad walked ashore on Sept. 2, becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage.

The 64-year-old Nyad swam up to the beach just before 2pm EDT, about 53 hours after starting her journey from Havana. As she approached, spectators waded into waist-high water and surrounded her, taking pictures and cheering her on.

Nyad’s previous try was cut short amid boat trouble, storms, unfavorable currents and jellyfish stings that left her face puffy and swollen.

President Barack Obama was among a flurry of public officials and celebrities who tweeted congratulations. The president’s tweet read, “Never give up on your dreams.”

Although she had some swelling of the lips, tongue and the airway near the mouth, Nyad would not need a long recovery, the doctor said, calling her stable and “very healthy.”

Nyad first garnered national attention in 1975 when she swam the 45km around the island of Manhattan in just under eight hours. In 1979 she swam the 164km from North Bimini, Bahamas, to Juno Beach, Florida, in 27.5 hours.(Liberty Times)